


How to Reset the Story

by InTheShadows



Series: Never Say Never (To Be Continued?) [9]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Assassination Attempt(s), BAMF Tony Stark, Bucky to the rescue - kinda, Comic Book Violence, Don't copy to another site, First Meetings, Gen, Good Intentioned Kidnapping, Hydra (Marvel), Kidnapping, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, is there such a thing?, there is now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-19 07:51:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19970563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InTheShadows/pseuds/InTheShadows
Summary: Tony dives to the floor even before he fully opens the door to his apartment. It’s the only thing that keeps the bullet whizzing by his head from making contact. Seems like today is going to be one of these days. Great. He's just moved into the apartment a few moths ago, he doesn't need it ruined so soon. Kidnapping attempts are such a pain.In which there is an attempted assassination attempt, a successful kidnapping, a BAMF Tony and a determined Winter Soldier. What could possibly go wrong?For Winteriron Week - Day 1 - First Meeting/"Are we really going to do this here?"





	How to Reset the Story

**Author's Note:**

> Day 3 already and I'm posting for Day 1 of this thing. I'm doing great obviously. It's just a good thing it doesn't need to be slash because that doesn't really work here. ~~(I hate writing fight scenes.)~~

Tony dives to the floor even before he fully opens the door to his apartment. It’s the only thing that keeps the bullet whizzing by his head from making contact. Damn. Now most people, if they were in the same situation, would begin to panic with someone shooting at them. Or scream. Tony is sure that screaming would be a good - normal - action. He, however, has to fight down a sigh. 

He grabs the first thing he can reach and chucks it at his attacker. It just so happens to be a wrench and it connects with his shoulder with a satisfying thud. Take that. 

And Rhodey says that it’s a bad idea to keep tools laying around like this. Shows what he knows. Then again it’s not as if Tony told him about the kidnapping attempts he’s been dealing with ever since he could remember - including the one that happened when they were roommates. Rhodey worries too much as it is, no need to make it worse. 

Was he mad about how trashed the place was? Yes, but at least he bought the explosion story Tony told him. Mainly because Tony managed to get rid of all the incriminating evidence before hand. Too bad he didn’t have enough time to clean everything else up too. 

When his attacker comes at him, Tony is ready. He notes the dark tactical gear and weapons even as he manages to flip him. Peggy Carter and Ana Jarvis didn’t raise a fool. They began to teach him how to fight after his first kidnapping at age four. Something else he doesn’t let onto people. Let them think he’s soft and innocent. He knows how to take on a person three times his size. It’s come in handy more than once. 

“Really?” he asks as the man pulls the knife from his thigh sheath, “are we really going to do this here?” It’s only been two months since he moved in after all. 

Predictably the man doesn’t reply except to lunge at Tony. 

That’s another thing - no one ever has a sense of humor about these things. Not the hit men sent after him, not the kidnappers themselves and certainly not Howard when he finds out about them. They always make him grumpy for some reason. It’s not as if he really cares about Tony himself. Just that he would have to pay ransom - which he never does - or find a way to rescue him himself - which hasn’t happened in years. It’s not Tony’s fault people are still stupid enough to come after him. 

Tony side steps and takes the man down with his foot. This is pathetically easy. Maybe _too_ easy. That was the second lesson Tony learned - never let your guard down. So he stays loose and stays alert. It’s the reason he misses the knife to the stomach. Well then, someone isn’t messing around. They - whoever they is - obviously don’t want him for something, they just want him gone. He repostions himself and grabs both a hammer and a screwdriver off the floor and gets ready. 

He blocks the knife with his hammer and goes for the wrist. Unfortunately he misses. Even more unfortunately the man does not the second time. A flash of white pain streaks across Tony’s vision as the knife connects with his ribs. It’s a shallow cut from what he can tell, but that doesn’t stop it from hurting like a bitch. Ouch. Still he doesn’t let it show. In the back of his mind he sighs again. Blood is such a pain to get out of the carpet. 

The man grins when he sees the blood on his knife, but doesn’t say anything. 

It’s strange. Usually his would be kidnappers like to say _something_. Whether to brag or cuss, there’s not this silence that this man has around him. It’s more than a bit unsettling for Tony - who has never dealt well with silence - but he ignores that too. Fighting is just as much mental as it is physical and Tony doesn’t plan on losing either battle. 

Doesn’t mean it’s fun to fight with the cut though. _And_ it ruined his shirt. So rude. He _likes_ this shirt. It’s the perfect softness from being worn and washed too many times, stained in certain places and really should be falling apart by now. The best kind of shirt there is. And now this asshole ruined it. He scowls as he dodges and then rams the screwdriver into his side. Two can play at that game. 

The man yelps and scowls at him. Looks like he doesn’t appreciate the gesture. How odd. 

Tony grins through the sweat he can feel running down his face. That’s enough to tell him that he needs to find a way to end this before it gets into his eyes. 

What’s troubling him is that this still feels too easy. This is nowhere near the toughest opponent he has ever faced. But surely if he’s that bad then Tony should have won by now. But he hasn’t and that’s something to watch out for. What exactly is he waiting for? He lunges and lashes out with his hammer. It’s times like this that he’s thankful for being ambidextrous. It smashes into the man’s jaw with a crunch. Double ouch. Too bad that apparently no one told him that Tony was trained. Or a lucky bastard or whatever explanation they’ve come up with for explaining how Tony always seems to win, one way or another. 

_That_ certainly gets a reaction though. The man makes a pained howl around his now broken jaw and throws a knife straight at Tony’s face. Then he moves to knee him right in the groin. Both attempts miss - sort of. Instead the knife scrapes against his cheek and his thigh is hit hard enough to knock him off balance. He goes back and down to one knee. 

His attack grins a twisted grin and then-

-the lights go out. 

Not just flicker. Not just blink. No, they go completely out all at once. 

Tony backs the hell up while he waits for his eyes to adjust. There are windows in his apartment, sure, but it’s a cloudy day so there isn’t a whole lot of light to go by. It answers Tony’s question though. This is obviously what his attacker was waiting for. He just misses another bullet to the head so obviously the time for playing is done. 

Too bad for him that Tony’s position puts him right next to the first dropped gun. Tony grabs it, gets up and lunges for cover behind the couch. He pops up to return fire before ducking down again. Alright so he obviously has more bullets than Tony so he needs to make these ones count. Taking a deep breath he pops up again, takes aim and shoots him in the thigh and shoulder before retreating. 

More pained reactions and Tony doesn’t fight to keep the savage grin off his face. Robotics may be his first passion, but never let anyone tell you that he doesn’t know how to fight. He isn’t the son of America’s top weapons manufacturer for nothing. He knows how to handle a gun. One more bullet left - make it count. It goes straight into the other shoulder and the man drops with a grunt. 

Tony hops over the couch and approaches. “Who sent you?” he asks, careful to keep an eye out for a desperate attack. 

Silence. 

Tony steps on his shoulder, leaning down. “ _Who sent you_?” he demands again. 

“Hail HYDRA,” the man whispers, foams briefly at the mouth and is gone. 

“Shit,” Tony curses. _Shit_ . HYDRA of all things. _HYDRA_! He swears to Lovelace that if Howard managed to piss off HYDRA enough to send people after him than he is going to kill the man himself. 

The anger helps push the fear away, Because if Howard didn’t do anything to piss HYDRA off then that means they want Tony dead for another reason - one that he has no idea what it could be. And that’s terrifying. There’s a reason they’re such a feared group, ever since they broke off from the Nazis in the 40s. Not even Captain America was able to fully stop them, although he did take out their founder and leader Red Skull. 

Privately Tony has always wondered just how smart he could have been. Terrible sure, there’s no question about that. He was a Nazi and then a super Nazi. And is there such thing as a good Nazi? Not if you believe in all of the things that they preached, no. Still the question remains that if HYDRA is so smart and so powerful, why is their symbol an evil looking octopus and not an actual hydra? That’s just poor planning on someone’s part. Didn’t they hear of peer review? Or mythology? Or _anything_ that would have told them that they had the wrong symbol? Really. 

Doesn’t take away from their power and ability to strike fear into people though. Because they have survived for so long. Because of their secret - or not so secret - weapon. The ultimate threat. Their attack dog. 

And then, as if Tony’s thoughts summoned him, he is there in front of him. One second he is alone and the next he is not. His heart beat picks up at the very sight of him although he is determined not to show it. Not that it matters in the end - once you see the Winter Soldier, he will be the last thing you see. Ever. It doesn’t matter how good you are or what protection you have. The Winter Soldier always wins. 

Tony is a Stark though and Stark men are made of iron. He refuses to show fear, even in the face of death. His pride demands nothing less. So he stands his ground and gets ready for the next fight. If he is going down, he isn’t going down quietly. He has to stop a shiver as he stares into the blank eyes of the goggles. They give away nothing except Tony’s own reflection. 

The goggles combined with the mask give the man a soulless look. No expression, no face, nothing. The Fist of HYDRA was thought to be a ghost story for the longest time. The boogeyman sent to scare and threaten and kill. Then HYDRA emerged from the shadows and the ghost became real - but no less terrifying. 

Instead of attacking though the Soldier raises his hands as if to show that he means no harm. 

Tony fights an urge to snort. Right. The Winter Soldier is really a puppy at heart. And Tony is Marylin Monroe. Is he really supposed to believe the act? 

Slowly he reaches up and removes the mask and goggles from his face, letting them drop to the ground. He makes no other move to attack. Letting Tony stare until he is content. 

And stare Tony does because he has never - _never_ \- heard of the Winter Soldier being unveiled like this before. No one has ever seen his face. Maybe it’s a tactic he uses on his victims? But what would be the point? Why not kill them and get it over with? Why draw it out like this? Is there supposed to be some kind of message here? Because if there is, Tony doesn't get it. Metaphors has never been his strong suit. English can suck it. 

He has to swallow because frankly his first thought is how _hot_ the Soldier is. Shoulder length hair, gray eyes and full lips. Under any other circumstances he would just be Tony’s type. As is those gray eyes look back at him, only half alive. 

His second thought is why does he look familiar? Tony swears that he has seen his face before somewhere. But where? 

“What do you want?” Tony asks. Because he really, _really_ doesn’t do well with silence. 

There is a pause and Tony thinks his question is going to go unanswered. Then, “HYDRA is after the super soldier serum.” And that’s all. 

Great. Yeah. That’s totally super helpful. Not. “And they are going after me for it why? It’s not as if I can recreate it - not enough moving parts.” That arm on the other hand, he has to keep himself from adding. That arm is something Tony would love to play with. 

“Howard Stark can,” the Soldier says, “Howard Stark - has. Possibly. HYDRA knows and HYDRA wants it.” 

Tony wants to scream. “And I’m just the message,” he says, a bitter taste on his tongue. Of course. Of course this is what it comes down to. Even his death won’t be about him, but _Howard_. Of fucking course. “So what’s with the -?” he motions to the dead body between them. 

“Training exercise,” he answers blandly. 

“Training-” Tony chokes on a wholly inappropriate laugh. He covers his mouth with his hand, but giggles still escape. And if they are more than a little hysterical? He thinks that he has earned the right. “Okay, yeah. Sure thing.” 

“HYDRA will not win,” the Soldier continues as if Tony never said a thing. 

And that is enough to snap him out of it. “What?” 

“I will not let them.” It’s said in the same toneless voice, yet there is a mountain of determination in it somehow. A wall of steel. 

Tony takes a moment to let that process. This is an interesting development right here. “Why not?” he asks. What does he have to lose? 

Instead of answering the Soldier flexes his hand - his _metal hand_ , good Lovelace does he want a look - and scowls. “Grab your things,” he orders, “we’re leaving.” 

“ _What_ ?” Tony asks again. Just what exactly is going on here? “What the fuck do you mean - look Terminator I am in the middle of my disertation, I just can’t - fuck don’t _do_ that,” Tony squeaks as the Soldier is suddenly in front of him. He barely saw him move. He blinks at the gun that is mere inches from his face. “Personal space buttercup.” 

“Get what you need,” he repeats, “HYDRA will not stop until they have what they want. I will not let HYDRA win.” 

“You know most people buy me dinner first,” Tony complains, mouth basically on autopilot by now, “or at least ask nicely. Act like they like me. Or my body. It’s mostly my body that they like. Not my mouth though. Not unless you want a blowjob, then I’m definitely your man. But people like to complain that I talk too much, can you believe it? Shoving me down between their legs is usually their way to shut me up. Because gags are a no go. And so are guns. Gun play isn’t one of my kinks you know.” 

The Soldier doesn’t move, but he doesn’t growl at him to shut up either. A solid improvement from some of the people Tony has been with. “Fine,” he says as he moves away, purposefully turning his back to him. Call it a test. Or some odd form of Russian Roulette. “I want it on record that I do this under protest. _Heavy_ protest. If this takes too long and I have to start my PhD all over again it’s coming out of your skin. Got it?” He turns to give the Soldier a hard glare. 

At least he has the decency to nod seriously. Rhodey likes to say that he looks like a kitten when he is angry. Asshole. “So noted.” 

“Good.” He gives a sharp nod of his own and gets back to work. Presumably he can’t take everything, even if he wanted to, so he grabs the essentials - a few books, tools, money, his phone, some clothes. Anything else he needs he can get later. “I assume you have a way to hide all of this?” 

The Soldier holds up a bomb he got from - somewhere. 

“Classy,” Tony says dryly, eyeing it, “No need to look much further when the entire place is falling down around you.” 

But the Soldier shakes his head. “Contained. Not to ruin the structural integrity of the building.” 

Well at least there’s that. Just because Tony likes explosions doesn’t mean he approves of needless violence. He shoulders his backpack. “Let’s get this show on the road then. I’m sure _someone_ has heard and reacted to the gun shots by now.” He glances down at the body. 

“Order through pain,” the Soldier says, then adds, “You are the same height.” 

How very useful. He tries not to think about any of this too hard right now. “Also,” he begins again, mouth still on autopilot, “since I am officially kidnapped _you_ are the one that gets to deal with Rhodey. My honeybear gets _such_ ideas about safety protocols and doing the reasonable thing and not taking unnecessary risks. As if there is such a thing. But he can’t blame _me_ if I’m kidnapped now can he?” He’s rather proud of that bit of logic. Because Rhodey can be such a mother hen. “And by deal I mean explain how this was all your idea and I’m just along for the ride,” he adds. Just to clarify. 

The Soldier nods. “Parameters acceptable.” 

Acceptable until Rhodey starts yelling that is. Because Winter Soldier or no, there _will_ be yelling. Rhodey is a cool head under pressure - but when that’s over, watch out. He doesn’t say that though because it is for him to know and the Soldier to find out. 

Tony watches as the bomb is planted and then they leave. He tightens the hold on his backpack, but doesn’t look back. It feels too much like an end of a story. Or a chapter. Chapter would be better if he goes with this particular cliche. One chapter is ending and another is about to begin. Looking back isn’t going to change that, no matter how he feels about the whole thing. And if excitement is a little too prominent among all the nerves? No one besides him has to know that, now do they? 

The door closes behind them with a click. 

Time to go. 


End file.
